FIG. 2.

Multicellular dogbones undergo significant morphological changes after self-assembly. Fluorescent-labeled NHFs were seeded into a mold and self-assembled into a loop-ended dogbone-shaped tissue. The mold design had a connecting rod 9 mm in length and 600 μm in width. Phase-contrast image (top), tracing of fluorescence intensity along line extending across centers of toroids (middle), and 3D surface plot (bottom) of cell distribution at 1 h (A), 2 h (B), 22 h (C), and 22.5 h (D). The red arrow in (B) denotes the V-shaped gap that forms between the post and the tissue. The yellow arrow in (C) indicates the point of eventual rupture. Three images spanning the length of the dogbone were stitched together to make each final image. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea